ONE. SAMUEL AND LOUISA

THE FIRST THING RHEA REEVES HEARD ON WEDNESDAY MORNING WAS SAMUEL CREED CACKLING IN THE TEACHER'S LOUNGE. She had recognised the familiar sound as soon as she stepped inside, her sunglasses over her eyes and reusable coffee cup tight in her grip. She hadn't gotten enough sleep the night before, though that came as no surprise. An uncomfortable groan left her lips as the heat hit her like a slap to the face; they never had the money to have a working thermostat so they just kept it on high from September through March.

Samuel shot up from where he was reclined on the couch at the sight of the woman, seeing her yawning and muttering to herself about all the work she had to do that day. The To-Do list in her head was far more complicated than the one she put on paper, yet it drove her just as crazy. He lightly kicked the lady in front of him, and spread his arms out wide. "Hey, there she is!"

"Good morning," Rhea dramatically heaved her work bag onto the table, before collapsing on the worn couch and resting her head on her coworker's shoulder. He smelled nice - that was her favourite thing about the man. Unlike some of the other men they worked with, he chose to shower everyday and even wore a subtle spray of cologne. His hygiene, however, did not transfer to his sense in fashion. He, like most other days, was dressed in a loose button down shirt and baggy jeans. His lack of style was something he had been getting away with far too long in the job. Initially, they were required to at least look presentable, but after a few weeks both teachers had become the boss' favourites.

It wasn't hard to tell, considering it was their boss who he'd just kicked in shin.

"You look exhausted," Louisa snickered, reaching for Rhea's coffee cup and lifting it to her nose, sniffing it. She pulled a face, and pretended to retch over her arm. "Is there vodka in this?"

"Of course not," Rhea scoffed, taking it back and chugging what was left inside. It tasted like shit, as she hadn't let the coffee machine finish before she ran out the door without so much as a goodbye to her cat. She made an obnoxious 'ah' sound as she finished the last few drops, and blew the principal a kiss. Louisa pinched her nose at the smell of triple shot espresso. "And if there was, I'm not sharing with you."

The seventy-five year old stuck her middle finger up in the air at the young woman, who laughed in response. It was like this everyday; she'd drag herself into the staffroom and complain about being tired, but mere moments with her friends and she'd be ready for a new day. That was the beauty of Highbrook Elementary; everybody loved each other there.

Samuel's arm snuck around Rhea's shoulder and squeezed, causing her to move her head to look at him. The rings under his eyes had become a staple part of his 'look' over the years, indicating that the was ageing faster with all of the kids surrounding him. "Are we still on for the joint game of capture the flag after lunch?"

Rhea nodding enthusiastically and gestured to her overflowing work bag on the table. "I've got twenty bucks in my purse saying my kids will kick your ass."

"My kids are fifth graders," he scoffed, shaking his head. The friendly competition had been going on since they met - currently, Rhea's kids had always bested his, par one year. "If they can memorise the states, they can beat some seven-year-olds."

"Not my seven-year-olds," she pointed out, poking his nose with a grin. He scoffed, smacking her hand away.

Louisa hummed after smacking the back of her broken chair. "She's not wrong. Have you seen Alice Heffler? She can run a lap of the field in less than two minutes. I could never do that sort of thing."

"Not with your arthritis," Samuel chimed, causing both Louisa and Rhea to hit him. He snickered, holding his hands up in defeat. "I'm just saying."

"If you don't watch your mouth that'll be the last thing you say," Louisa warned, though a smile tempted her wrinkled lips. She had never really cared about how she'd go; after losing her husband, she often joked about how her body was going to fall apart before she finally died. She then pointed between the younger teachers. "Now, you two had better not fuck around, alright? Don't forget we've got the career day coming up soon, and you need to figure out who you're going to bring."

"Why do we have to bring someone?" Samuel hung his head, pulling Rhea in closer to drag her into the point he was trying to make. "Shouldn't we be encouraging kids to be teachers like us? Who cares about those corporate jobs? We don't need anymore lawyers and accountants."

"If that's the argument you want to make, you'd better be treating everyday as career day," Louisa retorted, drawing a chuckle out of Rhea. The principal turned to look at her with the expression that the younger woman knew all too well. "Why don't you bring in that friend of yours, the one who works in the FBI?"

"I brought Daisy last year," she noted. Of course she wasn't opposed to bringing her best friend into school for the day, but she knew it was going to be difficult getting ahold of the agent when her schedule was so messy. They barely got to see each other as it was. "And the year before that, and the year before that."

"Agent Alvarez is a delight," Louisa shrugged, her dramatic ass more than willing to pull the 'I'm your boss' card if there was disagreement to come.

"And she's hot," Samuel piped up. Rhea smacked him again, and he yelped out in pain as she got him in the rib. "Jesus, Rhea! I'm-"

"Just saying," Rhea finished for him, rolling her eyes. She patted his chest, before frowning at the sight of the uneven buttons. "She's too good for you as it is, pal."

"You say that about everyone who wants to get with her," Samuel hummed. Rhea couldn't deny that - she was incredibly protective over the woman she thought of as a sister. "She's too intense for me anyway. I like a girl who wakes up at one in the afternoon."

"For goodness sake," Louisa ran her hand down her face, leaving Samuel to beam in her direction.

"She's out there somewhere, dude," Rhea assured him with an overexaggerated smile, her eyes falling on the clock above the kitchen. Realisation dawned upon her suddenly and she swore, jumping out of the seat and accidentally knocking Samuel in the chest. He groaned as if he'd been shot, so Rhea threw a half-hearted apology over her shoulder. She pressed a kiss to the top of Louisa's head, her way of wishing the woman a good day. "Shit, I've got Katie coming in early this morning."

"How's she doing?" Louisa asked, genuine concern washing over her face. Both her and Samuel looked up at Rhea, who was making sure she had everything she came in with. They all knew that Richard Whittle had a tendency to pull 'finders, keepers' on stuff people forgot to pick up.

"She's okay," Rhea replied, slinging her bag over her shoulder and wincing at the weight. "I think something might be going on at home that's causing her to spend more time at school, but we're working on it. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Rhea!" Samuel called, closing his eyes as Rhea rushed out the lounge and down to her classroom.

★☆

Seven-year-old Katie Larson was already waiting outside by the time the teacher arrived, her sad little face brightening once she caught sight of the teacher. Her hands were wrapped around her backpack straps, the bag a little too full for a kid her age. However, she wasn't like most kids. "Morning, Miss Reeves!"

"Hey, sweetheart," Rhea smiled as she pulled her keys out of her bag. She handed them over to Katie, who always liked unlocking the door. She pushed the entrance open and slipped her dirty shoes off, running around the room in her socks so the she could turn all of the lights on. The classroom lit up to confirm that it was a new day, and Rhea inhaled the scent of lemongrass, the smell the kids had all decided was nicest.

"I started reading The Ersatz Elevator yesterday," Katie's backpack hit her desktop with a loud 'thump'. She pulled two books out of the largest pocket, handing one to Rhea along with a list of words she didn't understand. Rhea, who was setting up at her own desk, looked over the list, impressed at how small it had gotten. "I still like Klaus the best, he's so smart."

"Looks like you've got something in common with him then, kiddo," Rhea ruffled her hair as she turned in her chair to slot the Lemony Snicket book back into her little personal bookshelf. She and Katie had both taken a shine to each other that school year. With Katie being the smartest in the class but the least popular around her fellow students, she'd taken to reading all the books Rhea had in her little reading nook, and Rhea had been more than happy to give them. "You know, Louis really likes these books too, his favourite character is Sunny."

"Really?" Katie asked, her eyes wide in surprise. "D-Do you think he'll talk to me about them?"

"Maybe," Rhea leaned down and reached into the small fridge by her desk (which she'd paid for herself, yet Samuel used it to his heart's content) pulling out a bowl, milk, spoon and cereal. The plastic was cold to the touch, but she put up with it knowing that the alternative was her desk drawer. She wrapped her bowl in a ziplock bag and started pouring her cereal as Katie began next week's homework. "But...you'll have to ask him first."

Katie frowned. She was such a quiet kid, and speaking to others filled her with anxiety. "Can you help me?"

"Of course," Rhea assured her, filling her bowl and spooning her breakfast into her mouth. She stood up and walked over to the child, squatting down beside her desk so that she could meet her eyes. "So, have you started writing your poem yet?"

"I don't like poetry," Katie mumbled, finishing one of the answers to her three times tables. She didn't look at Rhea as she said it, as if she was ashamed of having her own opinion. "It's boring."

"It doesn't have to be," Rhea shrugged. "It can be about anything you want, and even better, it can rhyme. Stephanie's doing hers on her new kitten, and Michael's is about Lightning McQueen. Besides, writing is a good way to express how you're feeling on the inside."

"Can I write mine about math?" she asked curiously, pressing her thumb against the led of the pencil.

"Why not?" Rhea grinned. Katie beamed in response. "But don't forget I have to check your progress, okay?"

"Okay," Katie nodded, before returning to her work. Rhea pushed herself up and walked back to her desk, finishing her food and turning the ziplock bag inside out, throwing it in the trash beside her. She took another look at Katie's list, the large words written in messy handwriting filled her with amusement.

Around twenty-five minutes later, more kids started to arrive, calling out a 'hello' to their teacher before finding something to do until the bell went. Some went for the class computer, while others chose to play with the brain-exercise toys in the corner, or the window chalk by the wall. The class was filled with life, and Rhea adored it.

With the limited funding the public school received, it was up to each individual teacher to make their classroom their own. Some chose to do the bare minimum, which Rhea couldn't blame them for. They were there to teach, not to entertain. Some taught in the dingy rooms that smelled dusty and leaked from the ceiling, and all they did was complain about how much they hated their life and the children they taught.

However, teachers like Rhea were the ones that would be remembered in years to come. The ones who sought to inspire and cherish every student that came by; to understand their interests and cater to their talents. She, along with a few others, went all out every year. Teachers like Samuel had chosen to stick cartoon characters on the walls and name his table groups after his favourite movies, while Rhea (in particular) had taken a different approach.

Her classroom was littered with random knick-knacks that had little facts stuck to them. There were things from her childhood, as well as small toys and figurines that she could use to teach. Plants were strung along the walls (ones the kids had planted and grown themselves), and artwork covered every inch of the room, except for her desk. In her little area, she made an effort to express herself, just as she encouraged her students to do. Different flags poked out of her pencil cup, including a rainbow one so that she could encourage conversations between things the children hadn't yet been taught.

Once the bell sounded, Rhea grabbed the rainstick by her desk and turned it upside down, the sound indicating that class had begun and everyone had to get into their seats. The last couple of students ran in late and scrambled for their chairs, but Rhea turned a blind eye. She was good like that. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good morning, Miss Reeves," the sea of youthful voices chimed back. Despite knowing her class roll off by heart, she still called out every single name and gave them an individual greeting. She noticed that Alice and Chloe were panting slightly, having run from the school field. Carlos and Louis were yawning from the early start (they weren't thrilled to find out they'd be waking up early for several more years to come). Katie sat quietly at the back of the classroom, distracted by her multiplication, not wanting to talk to anybody.

Rhea clapped her hands together and grinned. "So, who's ready to beat Mr. Creed's class at capture the flag this afternoon?"

Everybody cheered (except for Katie).

★☆

omg look at us go!! we're back!!!!! hm anyway um let's go team let's see if we can get through THIS season of trauma !!!!